Improvement in railroad frogs



.UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICF..

GEORGE W. BILLINGS, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AIMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD FROGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 137,882, dated April15,1873 5 application filed October 8, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, GEORGE W. BILLINGS, of Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and Im- `provedRailway Frog; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and complete description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing making part of the same.

Figure 1 is a plan view of' the frog. Fig. 2 is a side view. Fig. 3 isan end view looking in direction of the arrow. Fig. 4 is an end view ofa rail with its re-enforcing angle-iron attached thereto, showing themode of fastening the bolt. Fig. 5 is a detached sectional view of thespring and housing whereby the free rail is held in place.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the 4several views.

The invention relates to improvements in spring-rail frogs; and theimprovement consists in the mode of fastening the rails to the bed-plateby means of hooked bolts headed beneath the plate, and also infurnishing the housing ordinarily used to protect the rubber springwhich retains the spring-rail with win gs on each side, which afford amore extended bearing upon the rail.

1n the drawing, Fig. l, A represents the ties of the road, on which therails are laid and secured in the ordinary way. B is the central sectionof the frog, which consists of the rails C D, each rail being the i'nnerone of two tracks, the rail C being in the line of the rail E, and therail D being in the line of the rail F of the two railway tracksreferred to. The rail F, corresponding in line to the rail D, is firmlyxed to the ties and bed-plate G of the frog,

whereas the rail E is secured to the tie onlyl by its end H', while itsopposite end I is left free so that it may have a lateral or transversemovement, but which, however, is prevented from displacement by aguide-bar, J, passing through the end of the rail ina slot, said barbeing bolted or secured to the bedplate, and also fastened in suchmanner as to be withdrawn andthe spring-rail removed without lifting thefrog out of the track. This is done by having the bar in a parallel formand theI slot and fastenings so arranged as to slide the bar in placewithout obstruction. J is a stop, the purpose of which is to assist inrestraining the rail from too much lateral movement. K is a bolt passingthrough the rails E F. On each end of the bolt is a housing, L, withexpanded wings, an enlarged detached sectional view of which is shown inFig. 5. In said shell of thehousing is a rubber spring, and throughwhich the bolt passes.

c is a follower tted in the cup of the hous-l Y ing so that it presseson the rubber spring, which is pressed inside by the nut b. By screwingthe nut e the spring is compressed so as to entirely fill the cup of thehousing, excluding the water, which often covers the track, and therebyconducing to preserve the rubber from decay. The spring thus confinedacts as a relief to the spring-rail when wheels are passing through thespring-throat.. In providing for the bolt through the necks of the railsa hole is necessary, and to restore the rails to their original strengththe housing is made to hold the spring and bolt, and also, by theelongation of the wings iitted to the neck of the rail, the said wingsact as a reenforcement to the rail, and aid the rail to spring back toits place of rest. On the side of the spring or movable rail is securedan angle-iron, M, Fig. 2, an enlarged view of which is shown in Fig. 4,in which iigure it will be seen that the angle-iron is fitted close tothe web and the base of the rail and rmly bolted thereto. iron thestrength of the rail is re-enforced; hence it is less liable to break orto bend in consequence of the force of the wheels being exerted upon it,and more especially are rails liable to such accidents when made ofsteel and loose, as is the re-enforced rail referred to.

The sections of the frog are secured to the bed plate or plates byhooked rivets O, Fig. 4.

The hooks of the rivets are caught on the base of the rails, whereas theshank is projected through the plate and headed down, as shown in saidFig. 4. In this way of fastening down the frog the weakening of therails by boring By the addition of this angleholes through its base, asis ordinarily done, is avoided; henee the original strength of the railremains intact.

Claims.

the rails and bed plate or plates Gr, as and for the purpose set forth.

, 2. A railway frog, consisting of the re-enforced spring-rail E,section B, stop J', guidebar J, in combination with the sprin g a,Winged housing L, and rod or bolt K, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

GEO. W. BILLINGS.

' Witnesses:

J oE. S. STETTINIUS, JAS. MELDRUM.

